Take a Deep Breadth

Presented at Diana Initiative 2022, Aug. 11, 2022, 11 a.m. (60 minutes)

Often in our cybersecurity path we are given the message that we must specialize in one technical area. To tie ourselves to one domain, becoming the most technical person in the room to be successful, to have ‘made it.’ However, there are endless interesting areas of security; penetration testing, threat hunting, product security, malware reverse engineering - attack, defend, research, even develop products! Why should we choose only one? We don’t have to. I’ve spent most of my decade in security jumping around to different roles. From malware reverse engineer to cloud security engineer, engineering manager and now head of a new detection and response program. I want to present an argument for the benefits of breadth in your security career, through reviewing what I’ve learned about the most useful skill sets for mobility. I hope to leave you with a sense of freedom to try different types of domains - both technical and organizational, and end up building an impressive career.

Presenters:

  • Jackie Bow - Asana
    A Jackie-of-all- trades (master of none), Jackie has spent time in roles such as a malware analyst, reverse engineer, security engineer, and head of security at places like as Facebook, Patreon and US government. These days she can be found scaling security teams, coaching, and thinking about how to reduce burnout and increase compassion in the industry. Endlessly curious and easily excitable. She is currently Head of Detection & Response at Asana.

Links:

Similar Presentations: